Karl Malden died. He was 97. Capping a string of celebrity and “celebrity” deaths, his probably won’t go as noticed as others. But he reminded me, in an instant, of a catchphrase which has become totally ubiquitous in American culture:
Karl Malden was an extremely talented actor. He won an Academy Award, starred in movies like “On the Waterfront” and ” Streetcar Named Desire,” and he was (a personal favorite…) the star of “The Streets of San Francisco with a then unknown actor named Michael Douglas. The theme song is so damn cool. If I ever get around to a pro-wrestling career, this will be what plays as I walk, no, strut towards the ring:
Alas, despite all Karl Malden has done, the roles he created, the immense career he had, he’ll be immortalized for “don’t leave home without it…” Similarly, as we mourn Farrah Fawcett, she’ll be known mostly for a poster, and not for her acting. And Michael Jackson? The jury’s still out. And as his family’s PR machine goes into overdrive, the public struggles to remember more about the music than the man.
Pop culture creates a wonderful parallel reality that’s so easy to live in. And as practicioner of marketing, it often provides fertile grounds on which to build campaigns. At the same time though, it’s frightening when people flock to TMZ.com and PerezHilton.com for news. These aren’t news sites. And they present an extremely stilted, twisted, myopic view of actors, their lives, and what might actually matter. Do we really care about Perez Hilton’s opinion on …. anything? The trend to sensationalize while also simplifying has reduced an entire generation to one of soundbites and YouTube clips.
Give yourself the time to read a real newspaper — with real stories and articles. Most likely, you’ve become so conditioned to the soundbites that you’ll get fidgety before you even finish. While you’re at it, listen to entire albums, not just singles. Get the whole experience from whatever you’re doing. Just like Karl Malden, there’s a lot more than you’d expect …
